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2.18.2014

Barbecue chicken made in the crockpot has been a favorite of mine for a while. In fact, I've been making it ever since I got a crockpot in college and learned that you could simply pour a bottle of barbecue sauce over some chicken and it would turn into some pretty damn good pulled BBQ chicken. Then, I discovered the beauty of also adding beer to said barbecue chicken. So good. THEN, I finally learned that it's *even* better if you make your own simple barbecue sauce rather than using the bottled stuff.

And yeah, once I started piling it onto a sweet potato and topping it with guacamole and sriracha? Game over. Don't worry if you're not convinced on that front though... you can certainly be more traditional and serve it on a roll with coleslaw.

Enjoy it however you wish! This stuff is everything I look for: Easy. Healthy. Natural. Delicious!

Make this BBQ beer chicken for make-ahead lunches, to serve guests (it makes a ton!), or for a simple weeknight dinner. It just might be one you keep going back to!

2.11.2014

I have my breakfast staples: english muffin with almond butter, egg, or cottage cheese; or oatmeal. If I get it together before the week starts, I may have granola with yogurt or blueberry muffins or pumpkin muffins or banana bread. On the weekends, Ryan and I love to make delicious breakfasts to enjoy with our coffee. He might make bacon and eggs, or I'll make pancakes or our fave, almond butter and berry french toast. While I love all of those options, we recently woke up on a Sunday morning and wanted something different for breakfast. None of our usuals sounded quite right. While thinking of ideas, Ryan suggested, "what about...salmon omelettes?" Interesting. I wasn't expecting that to come out of his mouth. But we did have salmon, and the idea was intriguing. So... we made salmon omelettes. And guess what? They were amazing.

Guys, you havvveee to try these. If you like salmon and you like omelettes, this is for you. We mixed the salmon with creamy spinach and sautéed onions and garlic and dill... the result is a super unique, flavorful, unexpected breakfast. This would be great for impressing guests, but it's also wonderful for a special meal for 2. Valentine's day treat, anyone? It is pink!

It's pretty easy to make, too. Takes a little extra time since you have to bake the salmon, but no biggie. It comes together in half an hour total, and it's the perfect breakfast change-up.

2.05.2014

Can I be honest? I have not exactly been the poster child for "healthy food blogger" lately. I can blame it on time or stress or hormones or any other excuses, but my reasoning doesn't really matter...I simply haven't been as healthy as I like to be. Sure, I still pack all of my lunches ahead of time, fit in my fruits and veggies, and cook some nutritious dinners throughout the week, but there's been a lot of "guilty pleasures" consumed. Including, but not limited to, french fries, chips, cookies, nachos, burgers, and some damn chocolate sea salt caramels from Christmas that weren't gonna disappear on their own. Indulging in my favorite treats is nothing new to me, and something I pretty much must do a couple times a week, but it's been more often over the past couple of months. The interesting thing is, I haven't noticed any changes body- or weight-wise. Since I've started working out more (and strength-training specifically) and eating "clean" most of time, fluctuations in the strictness of my diet don't seem to contribute to much fluctuation in my weight, which is nice and all, but I certainly don't feel great after eating like crap. More important than what I look like, I love the way I feel when I eat healthy, and I love to be nice to my body. I haven't been consistently nice lately.

I'm not telling you this because I have a big goal or resolution to be totally consistent in my healthy eating. Because at this point, I'm not sure I do. I'm going to keep taking it day by day, always making sure to at least give my body the nutrients it needs. I think I'm telling you in order to "come clean": I'm so far from perfect. I share all of my healthy recipes here because they're usually my favorite and they're usually the most "impressive" and I think they're what my readers like best. But I'm not eating this way 100% of time. If you're not either, don't fret. My stance is that our bodies don't necessarily need perfect. Our bodies want nutrients from veggies and lean protein and fruits and whole grains and healthy fats. If you have a cookie on top of all of that? Not gonna kill ya. Especially if you're working out too! Moderation, moderation, moderation.

Like I said though, healthy recipes are my favorite to share because they're often my favorite to eat! This pan-fried chicken with poppyseed honey mustard sauce was so delicious. This is one of those meals that satisfies a craving for decadence while still leaving you feeling great.

The crispy crust is achieved from pan "frying" the chicken in olive oil after dredging it in egg wash and oat flour. We add plenty of spices so that the crust is reminiscent of fried chicken, not oats. Then we top it in this creamy, glorious poppyseed honey mustard sauce that is made from totally healthy ingredients. Tender inside, crispy outside, flavorful and creamy sauce. Yum.

All in all, this meal is totally guilt free. Low calorie or low fat? Maybe not, but made entirely of clean and healthy ingredients, which is more important to me. It's easy to make too, and you can have it ready in 20 minutes. Seriously! 20 minutes.

With this meal, you don't have to choose between healthy and delicious. It's both. You'll feel like you're eating pan fried breaded chicken, but you won't feel heavy or weighed down afterwards.